Second, neither this nor the previous uprising in Tunisia seem to have any discernable sense of either fanatical nationalism or fundamentalist Islamism. That might seem like a bit prejudiced and Western-douchebag-sounding on my part, but bear with me. The problem with many revolutions is that what comes after isn't necessarily a huge improvement on what came before. In fact, the same force that can unite and drive the kind of movement necessary for this kind of upheaval can slot very nicely into the tyrannical groove that's already been worn into the sofa.

The protesters in these recent cases don't seem to have any single banner cause beyond a general outrage at their governments. Seems to me that wider spectrum of interests is at the very least a good place to start again, if they get the chance. I mean, I try to be pragmatic about this stuff, but if this momentum does continues to gather across the Middle East, we could be watching something pretty extraordinary start to happen.

That said - it's worth noting that given the degree of support Mubarak received from the US in terms of military aid, if his regime does fall, the next one will probably not be at all friendly to US interests.

Re: Oh Egypt. My heart is with you.

Im leaving for Egypt on June 21. I hope this is all settled by then.

Originally Posted by bmack86

And it's been long established that Chris hates fun.

Originally Posted by Hatinisbad

I took my niece this year and it was her first Coachella. It was so fun to see it through her eyes. She thought it felt like a magical scene from Shreck. The one where all the fairy tale creatures meet for the first time in Shreck's swamp.

Re: Oh Egypt. My heart is with you.

Yes, we wouldn't want a potential people's revolution to interfere with a Canadian's vacation. An Egyptian friend of mine is saying he's heard from friends and family back home that the government has not only shut down internet and mobile phone service but has also cut off water and electricity in certain areas.

MissingPerson, I think those reports about Al Jazeera's influence are pretty accurate. The first place I read about protests in Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Yemen was on Al Jazeera English. They certainly are setting a narrative.

I don't think Mumbarak will get too violent or he'll risk losing all US support. It's so heartening to see the ripple effects of the Tunisian protests, though. The power holders in Libya, Yemen, and Syria must be getting scared.

Re: Oh Egypt. My heart is with you.

I was guessing he was more concerned about his safety. But he is Canadian, and we all know how entitled they feel as a people.

Oh, I know. I was being a little tongue in cheek. I would be worried if I were in his position as well.

Originally Posted by marooko

On topic, this sucks. That's all I got. Figure it's better than the "Oh, Coachella" douche-baggery.

It sucks? The people of Tunisia overturn their autocratic leader and show the rest of the Arab world that change is possible (without an American invasion) and you think it sucks? Yeah, it's unfortunate that some people will get hurt or killed as a result, but these people in Egypt are now engaging in unprecedented protests despite the fact that Mubarak (currently) controls a military which receives more funding from the US than any other nation outside of Israel. They're literally going into the streets -- Christians, Muslims, atheists, young, old, poor and privileged -- and saying they're not scared anymore. I don't think it sucks; I think it's amazing and I admire them. I've been involved in many protests before but none in which my life was seriously threatened. I hope they are able to affect some real change. And if they are successful, this could spread to Yemen (kind of already has), Syria and other Arab nations.

Re: Oh Egypt. My heart is with you.

SANAA, Yemen, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The Yemeni president called on Qatari officials to put pressure on Arab broadcaster al-Jazeera for what he described as inciting unrest in his country.

Thousands of demonstrators marched on Sanaa, calling on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 32 years in office.

Saleh contacted Qatari officials to complain the broadcaster, which has headquarters in Doha, was exaggerating the situation in Yemen, the official Saba news agency reported.

"What the channel is doing only serves the Zionist (Israeli) entity and terrorist groups such as al-Qaida as well as the enemies of the Arab seeking to ignite dissent and threatening the future of the next generations," he was quoted as saying.

Egyptian and Yemeni protesters drew inspiration from unrest in Tunisia that brought an end to the regime of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali after more than 20 years in office. Yemen's interior minister told al-Jazeera on Thursday, however, that the country wasn't on the brink of a revolution.

Saleh in 2006 was elected to another seven-year term as the country's president.

Opposition leaders say Yemenis are angry about corruption, a decline in currency values and a recent constitutional amendment that would allow a president to remain in office for life.

Re: Oh Egypt. My heart is with you.

The Tunisian military is absolutely miniscule. Egypt has the 10th largest military in the world. The ratio of military:citizen in egypt is well over 4 times that of Tunisia.

I'd love to be wrong, but I'm not holding my breath.

I don't disagree with you. Obviously, with the funding the US has provided to Mubarak, he has a massive military behind him. However, representatives of his gov't have already said before today's latests protests that they are willing to "negotiate" with the protesters. The fact that they're already issuing such statements is, perhaps, a good sign that incremental, but potentially meaningful change could be coming to Egypt. There's also the less likely possibility that the military eventually turns against Mubarak and joins the movement.

Originally Posted by PotVsKtl

I guarantee you Cheney will pop up soon to notify us that the Iraq war is responsible for this outbreak of freedom.

Right?? Fuck, if sweeping change does come to these Arab nations in the next few years, you can bet your ass the Dubya Library will have a special exhibit showing how his wise invasion of Iraq led directly to these democratic movements.